Sony admits difficulties with games as a service

Sony acknowledged that its games as a service strategy "is not going entirely well," admitting the problems surrounding titles like Concord and Marathon. The statement was made by CFO Lin Tao during a question and answer session following the company's latest financial report.

"Somewhat negative news has come out," said Tao referring to the closure of Concord and the delay of Marathon. Despite the setbacks, she defended the company's strategy, citing the successes of Helldivers 2, MLB The Show, Gran Turismo 7, and Destiny 2 as examples of games that "contribute to sales and profits in a stable manner." The executive emphasized that five years ago, games as a service were virtually non-existent at PlayStation Studios.

Sony's CFO mentioned that the proportion of games as a service was about 40% in the revenue of software for the first quarter, while for the full fiscal year, the estimate is 20 to 30%. She emphasized that the transition "is not going entirely well, but from a long-term perspective, if you look at the changes in five years, you see that there has definitely been a change."

Lin Tao also promised that the company will learn from its mistakes. "Of course, we recognize that there are still many issues, so we must learn lessons from the mistakes and ensure that we introduce games as a service content where there is less waste and it is smoother."

Sony remains committed to its strategy, despite recent challenges. The company continues to invest in new games as a service, such as the upcoming Fairgames, and seeks to optimize its processes to ensure more successful future releases.